Air Conditioner alarm

[kccustom]

I was wondering if anybody has any experience with something like this:
http://www.acwatchdog.com/

It looks like it monitors the pressure of your refrigerant and sets of an alarm when it gets low, what I want to know is how can I hook it to my elk if I get it.

 

[rfdesq]

Ask the company if the alarm output has a dry contact. If so you can hook it up to any alarm system.

 

[Mike]

It seems to solve the problem of people stealing pieces from your central air unit, is that correct (it says the pressure becomes low due to someone removing parts of the system)? I've never heard of this.

Edit: I found this, seems the copper is valuable and it does monitor low freon:

http://www.acwatchdog.com/acalarmservices.html

Of all the things I have looked at adding sensors to, I never considered the AC unit.

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

I was wondering if anybody has any experience with something like this:
http://www.acwatchdog.com/

It looks like it monitors the pressure of your refrigerant and sets of an alarm when it gets low, what I want to know is how can I hook it to my elk if I get it.

I'm guessing that if it sets off an alarm, you can probably use that signal to also close a relay whose coil is of high enough resistance as not to impede the alarm operation itself. Then just simply monitor the contacts of that relay with the Elk.

You will have to get more details of the alarm so you can match the coil voltage to this output.

Another option may be to just use a "pull-tab" sensor and connect that discretely to the AC unit (instead of monitoring the Freon pressure).

 

[judge_l]

I've seen newspaper reports of people stealing AC units for the scrap metal, copper is worth about $3 a pound. One article said the thieves stole the unit off the roof of a convenience store, while it was open. I believe this is mostly an intercity problem though, I guess I'm not too worried about mine.

 

[WayneW]

copper theft is sucxh a big deal around here that they have started leaving the lights on 24/7, hoping the burglars will be afraid of live wires. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-copper1...0,5935771.story

Air conditioner theft is also pretty common.

 

[pete]

I also read recently that punk kids are cutting in to the ref. lines and stealing the feon for huffing . .

 

[Ranger Digital]

in typical texas fashion, the govt has recognized this problem and are instituting STILL penalties for stealing wire, copper, ac units, etc. of course if they threaten your life or family you can legally shoot them still, lol.

 

[123]

Quebec also has its share of thieves attempting to steal copper wiring from existing facilities or from construction sites. A few of them have made the papers owing to their boldness or because they've demonstrated their ignorance of a copper wire's purpose.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20070721...23/CPACTUALITES

For the folks whose high-school French is a little rusty, here's a rough translation:

A man suffered severe burns through electrocution early Saturday morning while attempting to steal copper wires from a Hydro-Quebec pole in St-Dominique.

Using a ladder, the 46 year old individual scaled the structure but his attempts to monopolize the cables took a turn for the worse. He was electrocuted and fell several meters. The police found him unconscious, lying prostrate on the ground. He was hospitalized and his life is not in danger.

 

[MrGibbage]

Two of them have been stolen from churches in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia lately:

http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?s=6952584
http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?s=6919730